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THE LIFE OF A ♦ ♦
♦ ♦ ♦ Air JZ3KZY- nrsr
4 *> u-t- IIEL fighting 1b of very ancient
/^5) * anti not strictly Spanish origin.
Tj/S' p The Moors in Spain, in their
rare intervals of peace, prac-
L Kr ’ss tlced warlike pursuits, from the
I H W \ fettr I 10,; ungrounded, as it
A\ proved —of becoming luxurious
and effeminate. In this way
I £ //* began hull fighting. The Moor
f(J\ isli knight, anxious to keep him
sell and his horse "lit." pursued and speared the
wild or semi-wild cattle of the plains. Probably
the next step was the introduction of the bull
into an arena, where the prowess of the knight
could be witnessed and criticised by his friends
and rivals. If the rider was unhorsed, he endeav
ored to kill the bull witli his sword. One mar
vels how he did It with a scimitar; but possibly
by this time the Moors had adopted the straight
swords of their rivals, the Spaniards, with whom,
during intervals of peace, they not Infrequently
held combined fiesta de toros, in which both
Christian nnd Moslem vied in friendly rivalry at
the slaying of mighty bulls. To quote Mr. Abel
Chapman in "Unexplored Spain": "At this pe
riod, during the thirteenth and fourteenth cen
turies, the knight who, lance in hand, had been
hurled from the saddle might draw his sword and
kill the hull, his vassals being allowed to place
the bull (by deft display of colored cloaks) in a
position to facilitate the death stroke. Here
doubtless originated the art of ‘playing’ the bull,
and incidentally sprang the professional bull
fighter.” 1 need not quote Mr. Chapman further,
as this is sufficient to show the origin of the
"pro." matador, and the present decadence of
the sport Is not difficult to follow.
As time went on, owing to opposition on (he
part of kings and queens and popes, the aris
tocracy of Spain gradually fell away from the
sport, nnd the mounted spearman’s portion of
the spectacle became of less and less importance
ns the knights withdrew from the contests. Thus,
in due course, we arrive at the ghastly farce of
the present day, when the skullful rider, who
was, if not disgraced, at any rate poorly thought
of if his horse sustained damage in the contest,
is replaced by the professional picador, whose
sorry nag is never intended to escape the bull s
horns. As the horseman’s role in the show has
shrunk, so has the footman’s part increased,
until we come to the highly paid matador of the
present day. Though not much patronized by the
aristocracy or the army, and nominally con
demned by the church, yet bull fighting still re
mains the sport of the people, nnd consequently
of the press. Shooting, racing and polo have
taken its place among the upper classes; but La
Corrida comes before everything in the popular
estimation. You may go to a race meeting in
Spain and see English and French thoroughbred
horses. English, French and Spanish jockeys, a
fashionable and crowded paddock, police and
troops to keep the course but no crowd to be
kept in order!
So much for the importance of the sport cf
bull-fighting; now as to the animals employed
In it and the method of training them, it must
first of all be borne in mind that the Spanish
fighting bull is a very different animal from the
big. stolid and solid shorthorns and Herefords
which we see in this country. Like the race
horse, lie is an artificial creature, bred by selec
tion for generations for one purpose, namely, to
fight, and I can assure the reader that, with every
circumstance against him, lie will fight, from “the
fall of the flag" to his last convulsive effort to
get on his feet again when stricken to the hdart.
In various parts of Spain there are many stud
farms, which keenly compete with each other
in producing the best fighting stock. That of Don
Miura is perhaps at present the most famous.
Fighting bulls are -ip appearance not unlike the
old English longhorn breed on a smaller scale;
but as they vary in appearance, they might
equally be likened to Jersey bulls (with longer
horns) or black Welsh bulls. They vary in color,
as these comparisons suggest—white with black
spots and patches, white with red spots and
patches, or dark purple brown with light muzzle
and ears and a light brown stripe down the
backbone. (This last variety is said to be de
scended directly from the Aurochs.) The most
common of all is jet black all over; at least, 1
personally have seen most of this color. The
early days of calfdom are spent In luxurious
idleness on the plains, but at one year old some
sort of trial is held, I believe. This I have not
personally witnessed, so I cannot give any de
tails. At two years old comes the second trial,
and of this I will endeavor to give a short de
scription.
I personally witnessed a tentadero (trial)
through* glasses, and from a safe and fairly com-
fortable position on top
of the cabin of a yacht
on the Quadalquivir.
Judging by the behav
ior of people who were
at closer quarters, the
role of spectator would
at times appear to call
for considerable activ
ity, and bo unsuitable
for a stout old gentle
man on foot, or even if
mounted, unless lie
were a good horseman
and did not mind
"bucketing” about. On
the occasion in ques
tion 1 did not notice
any dismounted specta
tors, but I am told
they do attend on foot, and as there is no cover
of any description, the oniooked must at times
have amusement quite as exciting as those tak
ing part, in the trials.
The method of procedure at the tentadero is
somewhat as follows; The herd is “rounded up”
on the plain and the cowboys (ganaderos) then
divide it. cutting out a large number of decoy
cattle, which they drive some few hundred yards
away. When the two herds are safely rounded
up, each under the charge of silent, watchful
horsemen, the sport is ready to begin. The farm
is en fete (open house, in fact), and lots of
lriends of the owner turn up, well mounted for
the occasion (though, personally, I am not an
udmirer of the Andalusian ’oss). The owner and
his sporting friends now appear on the scene,
mounted and armed with the garrocha (lance),
which is twelve feet long and has a small, blunt
point about a couple of Indies or less in length.
When the owner gives his signal, the gana
deros let a trail escape. Off it runs to its friends
in the distance, and after it gallop three horse
men—two in dose pursuit and one following
more leisurely. The latter is a picador, or pro
fessional spearman. The two horsemen gallop
on either side of the bull, but 1 could not make
out whether the rider on the left spears to the
right and vice versa, or whether the spearing is
done from one side only, and the other horseman
merely rides to keep the bull going straight. It
seemed to me the horsemen usually tried to spear
high up and behind the flank, and from the off
side of the bull, i. e., left-handed. When suc
cessful. they turned the bull over in a cloua of
dust, like a shot rabbit. Not infrequently the
bull “jinked," so that it was not always the first
man alongside who got "first spear.” The bulls,
being young and active, gave good little gallops,
and were as quick as cats (very different from
their later appearance in the ring). 1 saw one
horseman bowled over, but could not s<*e how it
happened, as he was between me and the bull.
Generally speaking, after the hull had been
"grassed” twice he turned nasty and would gal
lop no more, but got up, breathing heavily, and
faced his pursuers. At this point up comes the
picador (called el tentador, correctly speaking).
With lance in rest he awaits the charge, which
usually comes promptly enough, to be received
on the point of the garrocha and warded off. If
the bull charges twice, he is considered good
enough for the ring, but should he fail to charge
and show a not unnatural desire to escape, after
coming off second best, his fate is beef or agri
cultural work in plow or cart as a Craft ox. So
the sport goes on until all the animals (of both
sexes) have been tried. The ladies apparently
go through the trials to see if they will make fit
and courageous enough mothers for future scions
of the illustrious race.
For several years more the bulls graze at their
ease on the plains, guarded and guided by the
ever-watehful ganaderos, for they are animals of
considerable value by this time, with prices rang
ing from forty pounds to seventy pounds apiecet
The occupation of the ganadero. however, seems
likely to decrease, if not vanish. Barb wire is
changing the face of the earth in most places,
nnd in Spain it is bringing about the passing of
the cowboy. Strange that Spain, the originator
of the cowboy, should practically see the last of
him!
I have often been,'asked if the bulls do not
fight among themselves. They do occasionally,
and I had a passing glimpse, from the train, of a
gory battle, which was fought In clouds of dust
beside an almost dried-up pool. There is, I am
told, always a master hull among the herd, who
tyrannizes over the rest; and In the "Encyclo
pedia of Sport” there is an account of how the
herd, unable at last to stand his tyranny any
longer, unite to slay Mm, and having slain him,
curious to relate, stand and bellow mournfully
THE COCHRAN JOURNAL, COCHRAN, GEORGIA.
'
GIsOALFC jFiL&Y
round his carcase until the latter is taken away.
The removal of the lighting bull from the plains
to the bull ring is not without interest. If the
bull ring is not far off the method is as follows;
Some few days before the fight, decoy oxen, with
bells round their necks, are turned out with the
herd, which soon get accustomed to their pres
ence. A little before dawn ou the appointed day,
by the light of the moon, the herd of decoys and
bulls are hurried along by side roads and lanes
into the town and on to the bull ring. For long
distance journeys the bulls travel by rail, and as
the ultimate sorting out of bulls and decoys is
much the same, whether it be at the bull ring
near by, or at the railway station for a distant
fight, a description of the method by which the
animals are boxed for transit will serve a dou
ble purpose.
Imagine a country railway station of the primi
tive order; on the right a dusty road leading
through aloe hedges to a distant town, with mar
ket gardens in the middle distance; on the left
a single railway line, stretching away in a not
too straight line to infinity. Behind you is a
large yard or corral, surrounded by high wails
and divided down the middle, which is entered
by two massive wooden gates. A few porters,
idlers, half a dozen cowboys with their ponies
hitched to posts, 'a couple of guardia civile, and
probably a few tourists stand about outside. In
the distance are grazing the bulls and their trai
torous brethren, guarded by a single horseman.
Presently there arrives on the scene a stout
party—presumably the overseer.
The cowboys mount their ponies, doing a little
"showing off" as they canter away to the dis
tant herd. Rounding up the bulls and oxen. They
head them for the corral. In front gallops a
ganadero, with lance in rest, driving before Mm
a decoy cx. At his heels thunder the herd.
Faster and faster they come, into the post ant!
rail lane, which narrows down to the entrance of
the corral. Behind, with wild yells and waving
lances, gallop the rest of the cowboys. Into the
corral dashes the decoy ox; the horseman at his
tail wheels at a gallop into the open stable doors
on his left, coming up with a bang into the
as a small boy hastily slams to the door behind
him. Meanw'hile, the entire herd has poured
into the corral and the gates are fastened be
hind them. The ganaderos dismount and come
up on to the walls, lances in hand. The small
boy pops out of the stable, cracking a whip, and
the herd “gets a move on” towards the next sec
tion of the corral, of which the doors stand open.
A bull looks toward the small boy, who dives for
cover like a rabbit; but in a second he is out
once more and again cracking his whip. The
cowboys aid his efforts by leaning over the rails
and prodding those cattle within reach with their
lances from above. Presently the herd is all in
enclosure No. 2. At the right-hand end of this
is a lane leading backward in the direction from
which the cattle came. Having been through
the mill before, a decoy ox promptly trots off
down this Jane to freedom. He is followed at
a more leisurely pace by a bull—but not to free
dom! The end door is slammed in the second
animal’s face. Quickly turning around, he rushes
back, but the door at the other end is shut also.
Round he comes again, to find the middle door
likewise closed. He is now in a trap and knows
it. With an angry bellow he charges the door,
sending the white splinters flying. A cowboy
leans over and prods him with his lance. With
a savage grunt he turns round once more, to see
facing him a small opening in the wali. Per
haps it leads to freedom? His hesitation van
ishes as he receives several prods from above,
and he dives into the darkness, to find himself in
a box on wheels in which he cannot turn around.
Before he has time to back out, down comes a
sliding door and he is a prisoner, ready to be
sent by train to the bull ring and his fate.
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Spanish Olives Q
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Up Against It.
“That woodpecker may be persist
ent, but I think he's beaten this time."
"What’s he trying to do?”
“Drill a hole into an iron trolley
pole.”
For Burns and Scalds.
In case of burns and scalds apply
Hanford’s Balsam of Myrrh and get
relief. Apply it to cool the skin and
take the fire out. Have a bottle al
ways on hand to use in case of acci
dents. Adv.
Always Moving.
“Does Gubbles ever make a move at
the club meetings?”
"Oh, lots of them. He's got St. Vi
tus' dance.”
We hear of new usc3 of Hanford's
Balsam of Myrrh. In dehorning cat
tle, light applications help to stop
bleeding, making the use of a hot iron
unnecessary. Adv.
He Thinks It Helps.
"What is an optimist?”
.'.V man who thinks that if he puts
"Urgent" on a letter it will be de
livered sooner than it would be other
wise.”—Stray Stories.
To stop bleeding use Hanford's Bal
sam. Adv.
Availability in Prospect.
“I fear 1 am not worthy of you.”
"Never mind about that. Between
mother and myself l imagine we can
effect the necessary improvements.—
Chicago News.
For mosquito bites apply Hanford's
Balsam. Adv.
Fashionable Sanitarium.
'The boss is worried about the new
patient.”
"He seems weak.”
"Yes; too weak to sign a check.”
You can safely place faith in Han
ford's Balsam of Myrrh. Adv.
Poor Excuse.
“Why did you drop off the water
wagon?”
"It was so crowded I couldn't get a
seat,” explained the other man. lamely.
For SUMMER HEADACHES
Hicks’ CAPUDINE is the best remedy—
ho matter what cause* them—whether
front the heat, sitting in draughts, fever
ish condition, etc. 10c., 25c and EOe per
bottle at medicine stores. Adv.
Not for Long.
“Now I am twenty-one, and my
own master!"
"Yes, but you ,are engaged.”
To Cure Sore and Tender Feet.
Aonlv the wonderful, old reliable DR. POR
TER’S ANTISEPTIC HEALING OIL. 25c.
50c. SLOO.
Quite Late.
Tardy Arrival (at the concert) —
Have I missed much? What are they
playing now?
One cf the Elect —The Ninth Sym
phony.
Tardy Arrival —Goodness, am 1 as
late as that?
Strange to Say.
"Here is a unique novel by a Brit
ish author.”
"What makes it unique?"
“An American girl is introduced in
the story and she speaks very fair
English.”
Small Souls.
Upton Sinclair was talking about
certain millionaire malefactors whose
crimes always went unpunished.
• "It's hard to understand,” said Mr.
Sinclair, “how these men escape ret
ribution unless it be. indeed, that
they’re too small for the meshes of
the net.”
Breaknig the Ice.
“Now, Miss Imogene.” argues the
voung man who has been receiving
the frigid stares and the monosyllabic
replies of the fair young thing who
chose to become offended at him at
the dinner and continued to accumu
late indignation at the opera, “it s per
fectly useless for you to attempt to
act like an iceberg. Science tells us
, that only one-eighth of an iceberg is
visible, and you— ’’
Considering the fact that she was
wearing an evening gown, he really
might have exercised a bit more tact
—Judge.
Many a fellow lays his heart at the
feet of a girl who deliberately kicks a
goal with it.
St. Louis trade boosters recently vis
ited 22 cities in one week.
More than 30,000 school children in
Lais Angeles are studying gardening.
Mre.Winslow’s Soothing Syrup for Children
teething, softens the gums, reduces inflamma
tion,allays pain .cures wind coltc,2sc a bottle. jUv
When a man boasts that he is hie
own master it may be because no one
else wants him.
FOR WEAKNESS AMI I.OSB OF APPE
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The Old Standard general •trragthening tonic,
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Practical Virtues.
“How did that ne'er-do-well manage
to live?”
“In hope that if he inspired enough
faith he might live on charity."
RUB-MY-TISM
Will cure your Rheumatism and all
kinds of aches aud pains—Neuralgia,
Crkrops, Colic, Sprains, Bruises, Cuts.
Old Sores, Burns, etc. Antiseptic
Anodyne. Price 25c. —Adv.
Sibyl’s All Right.
"Whom do you consider the most
fin de siecle girl in our set.”
“Sibyl Summergirl, by ali odds! She
gets out of a hammock without first
directing the attention of the man to
some object in the distance.
Friendly Tip.
Ragman—Any old bottles today,
mum?
Woman —No; but you might try Mr.
Soakem's, next door; his wife's com
ing back from the seashore tomorrow.
Handsome Is as Handsome Does.
Sanford —So you don’t believe in
judging a man by his clothes?
Crabshaw —No, indeed.' That’s the
way we judge a woman, and look how
we get fooled! —Judge.
Not Disorderly.
"So you have been to the art exhitH
it?”
“Yes, and 1 found several Whistlers
there.”
"Y'ou don's say! Why don’t a'guard
put them , out?"—Birmingham Age-
Herald.
How He Would Have Them.
How will you have your eggs
cooked?” asked the waiter.
“Make any difference in the cost of
’em?” inquired the cautious customer
with the brimless hat and the ragged
beard.
"No.”
“Then cook them on the top of a
slice of ham,” said the customer,
greatly relieved.
Royal Metamorphosis.
"The King, changing into a four
horsed carriage, drove through the Cat
tle section.”
A characteristic example of kingly
tact. —Punch.
Post
Toasties
for Lunch
Appetizing and whole
some these hot Summer
days.
No cooking no hot
kitchen.
Ready to eat direct from
the package fresh, crisp
and dainty.
Serve with cream 'and
sugar and sometimes
fresh berries or fruit.
Post Toasties are thin
bits of Indian Com, toasted
to a golden brown.
Acceptable at any meal —
Post Toasties
Sold by Grocers everywhere.